1. Technical Field
Various embodiments relate to a semiconductor apparatus, and more particularly, to a semiconductor apparatus that operates in synchronization with a clock.
2. Related Art
A semiconductor apparatus works in synchronization with a clock. For example, a memory device receives a clock from a host or a controller for communication with the host or the controller. The memory device receives or outputs data and signals synchronized with the clock.
The memory device has a circuit that compensates for the delay that the clock received from the host or the controller experiences in the device due to the internal circuits of the device. A delay-locked loop and a phase-locked loop are examples of the compensation circuit.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a semiconductor apparatus 10 unlike that of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor apparatus 10 includes a delay-locked loop circuit 11 and a clock delay detection circuit 12. The delay-locked loop circuit 11 receives an input clock ICLK to generate a delay clock CLKDLL. The delay-locked loop circuit 11 performs a delay-lock operation to compensate for the delay of the input clock ICLK in the semiconductor apparatus 10. The delay-locked loop circuit 11 generates a delay-lock completion signal DLLLOCK when the delay-lock operation is complete.
The clock delay detection circuit 12 receives the delay-lock completion signal DLLLOCK and the delay clock CLKDLL. With the delay-lock completion signal DLLLOCK enabled, the clock delay detection circuit 12 detects the amount of delay caused by internal circuits of the semiconductor apparatus 10 and the delay-locked loop circuit 11 and outputs the detected result N. The detected result N may be used for synchronization of a predetermined signal from the semiconductor apparatus 10 with an external clock. The predetermined signal is output from the semiconductor apparatus 10 to an external device in communication with the semiconductor apparatus 10.